MiniMediator
by SweetestReject
Summary: COMPLETE FOR NOW! Sequel to Miracle at 99 Pine Crest, which is the sequel to Hypnotized By Evil...I have no actual plot yet, it's just about Suze and Jesse being married, and having kids for now. Keep reading thought, it won't be horrible, I hope!
1. Christmas

This is the continuation of Miracle at 99 Pine Crest. It takes place the first Christmas that Suze and Jesse are married. Basically, it's Suze and Jesse starting a family, and then having baby mediators running around....lol...I don't have an actual plot line, so bear with me while I post random crap.  
  
**UnangelicHalo:** Aha! I thought it was you who had the cop thing....Did I forget to review? I'm sorrys! I'll review, I swear! :)  
  
**PoeticKiss:** Yeah, I did say that Wedding Of Sorts wasn't quite complete...I mean, it is, but I decided I was going to edit it a lot....I think I'm going to leave that alone and just write another 1800...Ok, going to write it!  
  
  
  
**Jesse's POV:**  
The early morning December light came in through the windows of our bedroom, catching on Susannah's face. Every day she grows more and more beautiful...I stood for a moment, at the entrance to our bathroom, watching her sleep, until passion overtook me, and I crossed the room to kiss her full lips. Susannah's eyes flew open in surprise, but I felt her smile, so it was alright. I helped her stand up, carefully, as lately she's been very dizzy in the mornings.  
  
The past week or so, Susannah has been very sick in the mornings, but fine by lunchtime. Today is no different. As she holds her head over the toilet, I hold back her beautiful hair and help in anyway I can. After several minutes, Susannah is ok, but shaky. I help her get back to bed, but Susannah refuses.  
  
"Jesse, I can't ignore the store just because I'm sick." She says to me, slightly horse, as if she's been screaming for hours. "Besides, I'm going to the doctor later. Maybe they can tell me what's up with me."  
  
I tried to convince her to stay in bed- surely the new employee, Katelyn, can handle things at the store?- but she objected again. "We have a shipment from the designer coming in today. I have to sign for it." She said with a grin. "Jesse, I'll be fine!"  
  
"Fine, Fine. But promise me, you will come right home after the doctor's appointment." I said, letting Susannah sit up. I had been holding her down partially, so she wouldn't hurt herself.  
  
"I promise." Susannah said in a tired voice. She got dressed, and went downstairs to start breakfast. I pull on my shoes and make my way to work down at the Carmel Police Station. The day was slow, with boring paperwork to fill out and file away. Around one, the manager of Susannah's store called to let me know Susannah had left for the doctor's appointment, and that Susannah would call me when she got home.  
  
I was a 'nervous wreck' as Chris Peterson, my cop partner, put it. I had every right to be. It was December, the roads could be icy, and Susannah, the reason I live, could get hurt. Or some bothersome ghost could pop up. I was always in earshot of the phone, jumping every time it rang. When it didn't ring after a few hours, I called our house, thinking maybe she fell asleep before calling. No answer.  
  
I had clocked out, and was about to leave, when it finally did ring. "Hey, Jesse." Came Susannah's sweet voice. ¡Ah, da gracias a Dios! (Translates into, "Oh, Thank God!")  
  
"Querida, is everything alright?" I asked. Susannah paused. She sounded like she may be smiling.  
  
"Jesse, everything's...great." Susannah paused again before finishing. "I have some news, actually."  
  
"News?" I asked. "Good news?"  
  
"Yups. When you get home. So hurry up and get here!" Susannah said laughing.  
  
"Alright. Y te amo, querida." Translates into I love you, dear. One of the few Spanish phrases Susannah knows, despite the years we've been together.  
  
"Y te amo, Jesse." Susannah replied, hanging up the phone. I raced home, probably breaking more traffic laws than a cop was allowed to.  
  
  
"Querida, I'm home!" I yelled. Susannah was nowhere downstairs, so I figured she was up in our bedroom.  
  
I ran up the steps and walked into our room. Susannah was standing in front of the mirror, poking her stomach out. She frowned, then jumped when she saw me.  
  
"Jesse, you scared me!" she giggled. I crossed the room and put my arms around her. "I'm sorry, querida." I kissed her neck. Susannah sighed, but it was one of pleasure, not exasperation. "So what was your good news?" I ran my hands down to her belly that wasn't quite as flat as it usually was.  
  
I stroked by her belly button for a minute, before I felt something kick my hand. "Ouch!" I yelped, pulling my hand away. "Susannah, did your stomach just kick me?" I asked, suddenly having an idea as to what the good news was.  
  
"Um, no." Susannah squeaked slightly. "The baby in my stomach just did."  
  
"B-b-baby?" I stuttered. This was good news! I put my hand back where it had been, and kissed Susannah again. "That is good news!" I said to her neck.  
  
"Really?" Susannah asked, her emerald eyes wide.  
  
"Of course, querida." I laughed, confused for a moment. "Why wouldn't it be?"  
  
"I didn't know how you'd react." Susannah said, her eyes now downcast.  
  
"Susannah, you know family is important to me." I said, lifting her head up by her chin. I stared into her eyes, and whispered, "I've been wanting to start a family with you since I became alive."  
  
Susannah smiled, and kissed me. We moved to the bed, and I kissed her belly- and our unborn child- before meeting Susannah's lips with mine.  
  
  
  
**Christmas Eve, Suze's POV:  
**"Hey mom, hey Andy!" I said, bursting through the front door of my old house. "Hi who ever owns that bytchin' car sitting in the driveway!"  
  
"Susie!" Mom squealed, even though I'd just seen her yesterday. Jesse grabbed our bag of presents for everyone and set them down around the tree. Mom wrapped me in a big bear hug. "Mom? Air, please? I hear it's important." I joked.  
  
"Hey Suze!" David said. "And the bytchin' car you're referring to belongs to yours truly."  
  
My mouth dropped in shock. "How the hell did you get that car?" It was a fully loaded Jaguar. It had _everything_, and was a current model, meaning the price of that baby had to rival the price of, oh say...the Eiffel Tower?  
  
"Designing computer games pays well." He said grinning. Doc wasn't near as skinny as he used to be, and his ears didn't stick out so much.  
  
"So, how's my happy couple?" Mom asked as we moved into the kitchen. I looked at Jesse, who grinned. "We're doing great, Mrs. Ackerman." he said.  
  
"Yeah. Actually, Mom, we've got some news." I grinned again. Mom's eyes got big, and before she could say anything, I finished with, "We'll tell you when everyone's here." My eyes were shining, I could tell, and I thought my face was going to crack from smiling so hard.  
  
"We're here!" Jake yelled from the front door. 'We' now included himself and Gina- yes, my best friend. They hooked up at Jesse and I's wedding, last June. They were engaged now, and Gina had moved to Carmel in August.  
  
"Hey guys!" I yelled. "We're in the kitchen!" Jesse had put his arms around me again, so I couldn't walk out there very well. He's been doing that a lot lately, putting his arms around me. I feel very safe when he does it, so that's why I don't mind.  
  
Gina came over and gave us a hug. Jake did this weird salute thingie, and then put their presents down around the tree. Now we were just waiting for Brad. He lives further out than the rest of us, so it takes him longer to get here.  
  
It seemed like an eternity, waiting for dinner. After Andy had carved the turkey, and we were filling up our plates, I cleared my throat and said, "I have an announcement to make."  
  
Everyone shut up, and Jesse took my left hand. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Mom, Andy, everyone...I'm pregnant!"  
  
You'd have thought a concert was going. Mom and Gina jumped up and buried me in big hugs. The guys were yelling 'Congratulations' and I heard Andy say something about having baby furniture in storage down in the basement that we were free to use.  
  
After dinner, I sat down on the couch, and everyone wanted to feel my belly. There was a tiny bulge, enough to know I was pregnant, and Gina asked, "When are you due?"  
  
"July 19th." (A/N: I made it so that, when Suze finds out she's pregnant, she's already two months along, so July is the right month, I think. I just made up a day.)  
  
"Ooo, being pregnant in the summer is going to be hell." Mom said, handing me a diet pepsi. She and Jesse both practically refused to let me up once I flopped on to the couch. "I can't believe my baby's having a baby." Mom said, all tearful and everythng. I smiled.  
  
The rest of the night was uneventful. We passed around presents, and then watched this Christmas special on TV. I yawned around eleven-thirty or so, and soon after we left. Jesse drove us home, and before I knew it, I was out like a light in our big bed.

Ok, like I said at the beginning, bear with me while I post random stuff. I have no idea what's coming next, or even when, so yeah...


	2. Easter brings an enemy

**GatorChick007:** Yeah, I figured when I said morning sickness, it would be a dead giveaway. But I was writing in Jesse's POV so he may not have caught it.  
  
**UnangelicHalo:** Sunshine is good!  
  
**PoeticKiss:** Thank you muchoes!!  
  
and now, onto the chapter....This chapter takes place around Easter. Suze is now 6 months along (I'm going with the whole Easter being in April, even though it changes from year to year)  
  
  
**Suze's POV:  
**I threw open the window to Jesse and I's room, and took a deep breath. I love the ocean air! It's so refreshing, especially in April.  
  
I smiled and rubbed my stomach. I was now roughly the size of a killer whale- ok, not really. But I was definitly huge, for 6 months. Patting my belly once more, I crossed the hall to the nursery.  
  
The doctors said I was having a girl. I really hoped they were right! Not that it matters, as long as the baby is healthy, but the nursery was prepared for a girl. Instead of making it extra girly, Jesse and I painted- well, Jesse painted. He wouldn't let me near the room, because paint fumes are bad for my lungs, and the babies. Anyways, he painted the room this cheery yellow color, and did a unisex theme of ducks all over. I stood in the doorway to the nursery that Saturday morning, watching Jesse's muscles tense up as he assembled the crib, smiling to myself. Jesse sat up and looked around for something. I heard him mutter, "Now where'd I put that wrench...?"  
  
The wrench in question was hiding under the assembly instructions. I picked it up and knelt down next to him, and said, "Here ya go, baby."  
  
Jesse jumped. "Thank you, querida." He said, taking the wrench.  
  
"Need any help?" I said. If not, I would have to start super-cleaning the living room and all of lower level of the house, since we were hosting Easter. Jesse knew this too, that's why he said what he said next.  
  
"Querida, you can't avoid downstairs. Now, up you go." Jesse helped me to my feet. I brushed some of the hair out of my eyes, and grumbled. "But I don't want to clean!" I pouted. "Besides, I'll bet Martha did it all already!"  
  
Martha would be the 50-something year old ghost who has vowed to never move on. Like, ever. She died back during World War One, and while it's nice having a housecleaner, it gets annoying when she just pops in. Like she did one night while Jesse and I were being intimate.  
  
"Well, then at least go rest. You shouldn't move around alot, querida. I don't want you to hurt yourself, or the baby." Jesse said, practically pushing me out the door. I grumbled every step of the way, until finally resigning myself to sitting down in the kitchen, getting things ready for Easter the next day.  
  
I felt the baby kick, and I knew right off the bat I was going to be a soccer mom. Seriously, as much as babies kick, you'd think they would rupture something! Jesse came down about an hour later, and ate lunch with me.  
  
"What do you think about the name Isabella Marie?" I asked. "After your sister, and my grandmother?"  
  
Jesse looked thoughtful. "I like it. Isabella Marie De Silva." Jesse said, his Spanish accent coming through. "And if it's a boy, then Peter Ricardo, after both of our fathers?"  
  
I nodded my head. "Definitly." Jesse got up and put his plate in the sink before wrapping me in his arms again and putting his hands on my enormous belly. Isabella/Peter kicked again. Jesse smiled at me.  
  
"Am I interrupting?" I heard a male voice say. I saw my dad sitting at the kitchen table, holding a dish towel so Jesse would know he was here.  
  
"No, Dad." I said. "Just feeling the baby kick."  
  
"I still can't believe my little girl is having a baby." Dad said, throwing the towel across his shoulder and getting up. He put a hand on my belly and smiled. "But I insist that you do not name it after me if you have a boy."  
  
I groaned and repeated this to Jesse. "Why not?" Jesse asked. "It's a respectable name, is it not?" Jesse may have been alive for over six years, but sometimes his 1850s nature gets the best of him.  
  
"Of course it is. I just love my grandchild too much to let you give him a name like Peter." My dad said. I repeated this to Jesse. "What about a middle name then?" I said, trying to avoid an arguement.  
  
"Lucas Ricardo?" My dad said. I repeated it to Jesse. Both parties looked thoughtful. "It works." Jesse said.  
  
"Alright. Lucas Ricardo if it's a boy, Isabella Marie if it's a girl." I said. "Now, as everyone is so keen on reminding me, I have cleaning to do." I made a face.  
  
"Alright, just dropped in for a chat." Dad kissed my cheek and dematerialized.  
  
"Ok, he's gone." I told Jesse. I started to wash our plates and glasses, but Jesse was making it awfully hard. He kept whispering Spanish into my neck between kisses. I giggled, and said, "Jesse, it's not even fair. I don't know what you're saying! Tease me in English, please??"  
  
"Ah, querida." Jesse said kissing me again. "If I were to translate, you'd never speak to me again."  
  
That statement led me to believe that Jesse was being very very dirty. In a sex way, of course. I just smiled and let him keep on whispering and kissing me.  
  
  
The next morning, I woke up in Jesse's arms. As I usually do, but that morning I woke up not only in his arms, but also in a thin sheet draped over us. I smiled as I remembered the previous night.  
  
Jesse had kept up his whispers, until I turned around and started some of my own. "Jesse, are you going to tease me with whispers, or follow through with them?" I said, pulling his face to mine and kissing him. The next thing I know, he had scooped me into his arms, and carefully took me upstairs.  
  
"So I guess you're going to follow through?" I said between moans. He did.  
  
I sighed remembering, and then pulled on cute maternity clothes. It was close to noon, and my parents would be there sometime around two or two- thirty. David was coming alone, Brad was apparently hooked on some girl- enough so that he asked if he could bring her. I said sure, whatever. Jake and Gina weren't coming- they were flying to New York to see Gina's parents. Good luck Jake. I thought when they told me that. Her parents are cool, but majorally strict when it comes to guys she brings home.  
  
Jesse stirred as I opened the window and the breeze came through. "Morning sweetie." I said, kissing his nose.  
  
"Morning querida." He said, pulling me into a passionate kiss. See, with Jesse, once you get him started, it's hard to get him to stop. But I don't mind, usually. We just didn't have time for a quickie.  
  
"Jesse, I'm going to go start cooking." I said, seductively walking downstairs. Life is good. Life is very good!  
  
**Jesse's POV:**  
"Jesse, I'm going to go start cooking." Susannah said, walking slow and seductively out of the room. Mi Dios, she drives me crazy! Her beauty was enhanced by the maternal glow she was giving off. It was almost impossible to keep my hands off of her.  
  
I dragged myself out of bed, and took a shower. I pulled on clothes to wear, and went to help Susannah in the kitchen. Cooking is not my specialty, but I'm ok at it. Enough to help out once in a while.  
  
The holiday was good. Brad brought his girlfriend, Mikayla, and she seemed nice. A little hung up on herself, but not near as bad as some of the girls from high school. Susannah's mother was protective, like me, and refused to let Susannah move around much.  
  
"So have you picked names yet?" David asked. Susannah grinned from the couch she'd been forced into after dinner.  
  
"Isabella Marie or Lucas Ricardo." I said, handing Susannah her soda.  
  
"Lucas? That was your father's middle name." Mrs. Ackerman said.  
  
"Yeah. Something told me he'd like that more than if we used his first name." Susannah said.  
  
Soon after, everyone started leaving. Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman helped us clean up before they left, and Susannah and I were alone again. She settled into bed next to me, and I resumed what I had wanted to do that morning.  
  
"Jesse!" Susannah giggled. I loved the way she giggled my name.  
  
"Aw, now isn't this a picture of perfection?"  
  
I may not see ghosts, but somehow I saw and heard this one. Perhaps because he never really died...  
  
"What the hell?" Susannah said. "Paul? How did you get here? You freaking died!"  
  
"Not technically, Suze." Slater said. "I just stayed up in the shadowland. Actually, because you escaped, I was forced to stay up there, even after my body down here had died."  
  
"Slater, you lay one hand on my wife, I swear it will be the last thing you." I growled.  
  
Slater's eyebrows went up at that. "Wife? Wow, I did miss a lot. Well, that's what happens when you spend six years trying to get out of the shadowland."  
  
"Wow, you're a smart one." Susannah retorted. "See me, it only took two days to get out. Of course, I went through hell in those two days but whatever."  
  
Slater scowled at Susannah, and I held her close to me. "Wanna go through hell again?" Slater said, a wicked smile on his face. I stood to face him.  
  
Unfortunately, that revealed Susannah's very pregnant form.  
  
"Wow, I DID miss a lot!" Slater said, staring at her belly. "So you two been busy lately, I see." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, the same way Susannah and I do to each other.  
  
"You bastard! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Susannah yelled. Slater took another step towards her...  
  
  
That's enough for now! More coming, I swear! 


	3. Early Delivery

**Suze's POV:**  
Damn him. Stupid Demon spawn! Here I am, having a very nice intimate night with the love of my life, and stupid Paul shows up. Just when I thought he HAD to have moved on, since it's been six years or so, and he couldn't bug me any more.  
  
"Wanna go through hell again?" He said, a slow smile crossing his face.  
  
Jesse stood to face Paul. Probably to go and beat him up. Totally worked for me.  
  
But he stood up, giving Paul a very good look at my stomach. "Wow, I DID miss a lot!" Slater said, staring at it. "So you two been busy lately, I see." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, the same way Jesse and I do to each other.  
  
"You bastard! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" I yelled.  
  
He took a slow, deliberate step towards me. "No." Slater said. Seriously. Just "No." I thought I was going to bust. I wanted to smack him around, or shift him to the shadowlands and throw him through a door, but I couldn't. I'd been forbidden to shift by Jesse, Father Dom, Jake, and everyone else who knew my secret.  
  
So we were stuck with Satan until the baby was six months old.  
  
Great. Just great.  
  
  
**Two Months Later, June 16, Still Suze's POV:**  
"Damn heat wave..." I muttered, fanning myself. I was as big as a house, with swollen ankles, and the heat was making me crabby. I reached for my glass of lemonade only to have it move directly into my hand. "Thank you, whoever you are." Guardian ghost, I supposed. Just showed up out of the blue, refuses to show him/herself, and is generally helpful. Our guardian ghost has helped defend us against "Satan" several times, so I definitly do not want him or her moving on.  
  
"Querida, I'm home." Jesse called. I was sitting on the couch, basically unable to move, except in extreme emergencies. Jesse came over and planted a quick kiss on my forehead. "Any problems with him?" Jesse asked.  
  
"Nope. Satan's been eerily quiet today." I said. I'd stayed home from the store, namely because I couldn't deal with bitchy supermodels today. I was suffering from exhaustion, or insanity, and agreed to hold a fashion show down at SDS Fashions, my mega-hip store. I'd called my new manager there, Katelyn, and told her to make up some excuse as to why I couldn't be there.  
  
"Good." Jesse said. "Do you need anything?"  
  
I shook my head and closed my eyes. "I'm good for now. Just hurry back." Jesse raced up the steps to change out of his uniform, and then came back down in track shorts and a shirt. I felt like a queen for little bit, because Jesse got me anything I wanted, or our Guardian ghost did, and I didn't have to move.  
  
Very nice...I could get used to this.  
  
I got up to go to the bathroom, and Satan decided to pop in. I yelled, and started to go into a fighting stance, which is way hard with a beachball in front of you. Upside to the beachball in front of me was that Paul couldn't slam me against a wall and hold me there. Besides, Jesse came running the second I yelled and pulled Paul off of me and into the the wall, where he proceeded to beat the crap out of him until Paul dematerialized.  
  
I felt a sharp pain go through me, the same kind I'd been having all day. I guess they were contractions, but I had other things to deal with. I winced as Jesse knelt down beside me. "Querida? Are you alright?"  
  
"I don't know." I said honestly. Then I looked down and saw that Satan had made my water break.  
  
A MONTH EARLY.  
  
"Shit! Jesse, my water broke!" I cried, trying to scramble up. "Grab the bag, I'll meet you in the car." I waddled out to the car, doors being opened by unseen forces. Jesse threw my bag into the backseat, and then got in front. He did, like, ninety on the way to the hospital, I swear. Jesse got me a wheelchair and wheeled me inside while he parked, then joined me in the emergency room where the nurses and everyone got me admitted.  
  
I started doing the breathing exercises they taught me in Lamaze, and then Jesse came in. He clutched my hand and said, "Querida, can I get you anything??"  
  
"Just call my mom." I said. I needed my mommy to be there. "And then call the store, leave a message and tell them I'm starting my maternity leave early."  
  
Jesse kissed my hand before leaving. "Dad?" I whispered. "You wanna pop in real quick?"  
  
The twinkle of blue lights told me dad was here. "What do you need, pumpkin?" he asked, all worried.  
  
"Just someone to be here, in case Satan pops in again." I said. "Just stay with me til Jesse comes back, please?"  
  
"Of course, Suze." Dad said. I smiled. "You're about to be a grandpa!" I said excitedly. "You think this kid's gonna be a mediator like me?"  
  
"I hope not!" Dad said with this goofy grin. "You got yourself into more scrapes than I can count. I hope, for your sake as a parent, this baby doesn't become a mediator."  
  
"Hey, I wasn't that bad!" I said, laughing. Jesse came running in. "Ok, I called. Your mother's on her way." Jesse said breathlessly.  
  
"Ah, thank God. I need my mommy." I said giggling. "Dad, will you be close by if I need you to kick ghost butt?"  
  
"Of course." Peter Simon said. "Tell Jesse I said hello and goodbye." I nodded and repeated the message before Dad dematerialized.  
  
Jesse clutched my hand as a contraction neared. "OW!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed. I breathed through it, except for the one scream, and soon it was over.  
  
"It's ok, it's over..." Jesse said soothingly. He stroked my hair and stayed by me, even after my mom showed up.  
  
Dr. Larson came in, and said it was time. I was dialated 9 centimeters. Jesse got prepared and went in with me, leaving mom, Andy, David, and Gina in the waiting room.  
  
Jesse gripped my hand as I pushed again. "GET IT OUT OF ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed.  
  
"Ok, Susannah, one more big push!" Dr. Larson said cheerfully. Yeah, you try being cheerful when a human being is coming out of you!  
  
I pushed like my life depended on it. Then, it was like this great weight had been taken off my shoulders- or rather, out of my uterous- and I sank back, sweaty and tired, against the pillows. Jesse clutched my hand and kissed my forehead. "You did it, querida!" he whispered. Tears were coming down both of our cheeks. I heard a baby cry, and I sat up as they handed my daughter to me.  
  
"Isabella Marie De Silva." I whispered when they asked what her name was. Jesse and I sat there, taking turns holding Isabella and bonding with her. Then the doctors wrapped her in a blanket and put her in a crib as she fell asleep. I felt my own lids get droopy and I fell asleep shortly after she did.  
  
**Jesse's POV:**  
"Isabella Marie De Silva." Susannah whispered.  
  
_Welcome to the family, Isabella._ I thought as they handed us the baby. She wasn't completely bald, but only had little strings of hair. Her eyes were a blue green color, and the doctor said they would probably turn out green, like Susannah's. _She's perfect._ I thought.  
  
I held her after Susannah did, and cried some more. Then the doctors came and wrapped her up as she fell asleep. Susannah fell asleep a few minutes later, and I kissed her forehead before leaving to tell everyone.  
  
"So? Did she have it??" Mrs. Ackerman asked excitedly.  
  
"It's a girl! Isabella Marie De Silva, 21 inches long, 7 pounds, 5 ounces." I said. Everyone started hugging each other and yelling congratulations. "Can we see her? Or Suze?" Gina asked.  
  
"Both of them are sleeping, but we can go by the nursery and see Isabella." I said. We walked down the hall and saw little Isabella through the window. She looked so fragile, even though the doctors assured us she was healthy as can be.  
  
We stood there for a few minutes until I said, "You guys can go home, if you want. Susannah will be moved to a different room in a few minutes, and then we'll call you in the morning." I noticed the sleepy expressions on everyone's face. Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman said they would wait, to see what room Susannah was in, and then leave. David took off, after saying congratulations again, and Gina had to wait, since Susannah's parents were her ride out.  
  
While we were making our way to Susannah's room, I saw Jake and Brad running down the hallway. "Did she have it? Is everyone OK? Where are you going?" They yelled at the same time.  
  
"Follow us!" Gina yelled back. They ran to catch up with us. We walked in, and Gina was telling them all about Isabella. I sat down in a chair next to Susannah's bed while everyone else looked around at everything. "Gina, do you have CeeCee's number? I'm supposed to call her the second Suze was settled in a room."  
  
"I'm on it." Gina said. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Hey Adam. Put the wife on the phone, will ya?" she said. "Cee? Suze had the baby!" Mrs. Ackerman made her go out in the hallway, since this news made everyone start talking excitedly. And loudly.  
  
"Ok, we're going to go, before she starts crying again." Mr. Ackerman said, pointing to his wife.  
  
"Uh, dad? Too late." Brad said. Mrs. Ackerman had started to get teary.  
  
"I'll call you when Susannah wakes up tomorrow." I said, getting up and walking them to the elevator. Jake, Brad, and Gina stuck around for a little bit longer. Brad disappeared for a little bit, and returned with a bear proclaiming "It's a girl!" on its stomach.  
  
After everyone had left, I took Susannah's hand and kissed it quickly. I went to check on Isabella again, and then, upon seeing that she was safe, I asked Peter- who I know was nearby, watching over his daughter and granddaughter- to keep her safe from Slater. Then I fell asleep in the chair next to Susannah. 


	4. Ripping Satan A New One

**December 16, Isabella's six-month birthday, Suze's POV:  
**  
"That's it, PAUL! You and me, shadowland, NOW! Jesse, watch Isabella, I'll be back!" I screamed as I grabbed Paul's hand the same forceful way he used to grab mine. Wait, what am I saying, _used to_? The bastard just did it two days ago! And now, I come into Isabella's room to put her to bed, and see Satan sitting in the rocking chair with this glint in his eyes.  
  
Well, if he thinks for one minute I'm going to leave Isabella unattended with him in the room, then he's a bigger idiot than I give him credit for.  
  
So I handed Isabella to Jesse and forced Paul to move on. Not the smartest thing I've ever done, but he's getting on my nerves! I shifted us to the shadowland, and said in my most intimidating voice ever, "Paul, I swear to freaking God, if you do not walk willingly through one of these doors, then I will open it and push you through it myself! YOU ARE DEAD! STOP HARASSING ME! GET OUT! I don't even care if you move on or not, you can stay on Earth for all I care- BUT YOU CANNOT KEEP BOTHERING ME OR MY FAMILY!"  
  
I think Paulie was a little surprised at my outburst. "Aw, Suze. Don't be like that." He said. Seriously. What the hell?  
  
"Don't be like what? Hmm, Paul?" I said in my most sarcastic voice. "Don't be over protective of my family? Don't be pissed at you for being the prick that you are? DON'T BE LIKE WHAT?!"  
  
Goddamn it, I hate this bastard. I wish he would just leave and never come back! "Do you not get it? The stalker thing is over-played. You know what I did when I found you were dead? I celebrated." The look on his face was one of disbelief. I wanted to shut up now, but once I started talking, I just couldn't shut up.  
  
"Yes, me and Jesse celebrated the fact that YOU couldn't bother us anymore. And for SIX YEARS, life was GOOD! Then you showed up again! DON'T YOU GET IT? MOVE ON ALREADY!" I took a deep breath. "I'm leaving now. If I see you again, I swear to God, I will hurt you."  
  
Then I shifted back home, to see Isabella sleeping peacefully and Jesse standing guard. "Hey sweetie." I said.  
  
"Querida! You're back!" Jesse whispered, relieved. "Is he gone?"  
  
"He's in the shadowland. Hopefully, it'll be six years before he can get out again." I said, laying my head on Jesse's chest. My post-shifting headache was starting to come in, so I kissed Isabella's cheek quickly and went to lie down. Suddenly, panic overtook me and I picked her up.  
  
"Susannah? What are you doing?" Jesse asked. I laid Isabella down in the cradle next to our bed, where she used to sleep when we first brought her home from the hospital.  
  
"I have this bad feeling." I said shakily. "I don't want to leave her alone."  
  
Jesse nodded and got into bed next to me. I watched Isabella fall asleep and then I crashed in an attempt to get rid of this headache.  
  
  
**Paul's POV:**  
I stood there in the hallway for a really long time after Suze left. She was _pissed_. I mean, I'd pissed her off before, but those were nothing compared to this. She ripped me a new one this time.  
  
And for some reason, I really wanted to leave her be. Of course, that would mean I'd lost, but I'd already lost. She was married to De Silva and had a kid. Yeah, I think it's safe to say I'd lost big time. After all the hell I'd put her through, I probably should move on.  
  
(A/N: Oooo, is Paul gaining a conscience?)  
  
I put out a hand to the nearest door and was about to open it when I heard a deep voice behind me.  
  
"You want your life back?"  
  


I know it's short! Ah, I'm sorry! Never fear though...


	5. New Threats and her first mediation

**Esodes08:** Muhahaha! I'm sorry for the short chapter...It was originally going to be REALLY long, and combined with this one, but I had to sign off and stop writing for a bit and lost my train of thought...But the train is back! Also, part of me wanted to keep people in suspense...Let's run down a list of people who would be giving Paul is life back (and no, not in teenager form. Although, that could be wicked.)  
  
-Some random ghost who hates Suze for some reason

-Some random ghost Paul met and thought he had mediated

-A new character who's also a shifter and has weird new powers  
  
OF COURSE Paul's going to go back to harassing Suze! It's his in job description! But, never fear...I so have a plan for this!  
  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own the mediator characters. I do however own the following:  
  
-Isabella Marie De Silva

-Guardian Ghost

-Martha (who will play a bigger part than you expected)

-The plot, as messed-up as it may be

-Anything you don't recongize (New characters, plot twists and turns, all that good stuffs)  
  
And now, onto the chapter  
  
  
  
**Paul's POV:**  
"You want your life back?"  
  
Now, is a guy really going to walk away from that? I turned around and saw a guy about my height wearing baggy black skater pants, a ripped Linkin Park shirt, and skater shoes. He had more piercings than I'd ever seen, and shaggy black hair.  
  
"You alive or dead?" I said, even though the obvious answer was Alive. Dead people didn't get to retain their powers. Well, highly advanced shifters could, but not the ones to bring people back to life. I, unfortunately, hadn't mastered that one or I'd have sent De Silva packing.  
  
"Name's Dylan Sakoda." the kid said, even though he probably over 18. "Shifter from St. Louis, Missouri. Heard about your little dilemia when it comes to a certain Suze Simon." There was a glint in his eyes as he uttered her name.  
  
"You know Suze?" I asked, releasing the doorknob.  
  
"I've heard of her via ancestors of mine." Dylan said. "Married to an ex- ghost because of their 'pure love' and has a kid?" He used quotes around the words pure love.  
  
"That's Suze." I said. "What do you mean, 'pure love'?" I said, using my own quotes.  
  
"You didn't know? De Silva- that's his name, isn't it?- became one of the living because he and Suze have the 'purest love known to man'." Dylan said laughing. "Although, they ain't been pure for a long time, if you know what I'm saying."  
  
"So that's how he did it." I muttered. How the hell did I miss that? Oh yeah, stalking Suze...didn't have room for much else in my brain. "So how can you give me my life back?"  
  
"We'll get to that." Dylan said. Damn, this kid reminds me of someone...Oh yeah. Me. Well, that can't be good. "First, let's get out of here."  
  
Dylan shifted me to a small apartment in St. Louis. "It ain't easy." he warned.  
  
"Just do it."  
  
About an hour later, I was living again.  
  
In pain, but hell, at least I could feel pain again. "Now, downside is you have no more shifter powers." Dylan said, a sick smile on his face.  
  
"WHAT?!" I bellowed. "How come you didn't warn me!?"  
  
"Would you have warned someone?" Damn he is like me.  
  
"You still have basic mediator powers, though." Dylan continued.  
  
"How do I get to Carmel?" Usually, it'd be no big deal, but unfortunately, I'm dead to the rest of the world so I have no cash and no car.  
  
Dylan shifted me to the Mission. "Good luck. And try not to get killed again. That spell was a one-shot deal. If you die again in your current state, their is no coming back. There's no ghosthood either. It's straight to the shadowland for you, and you have to go through a door."  
  
Well, that puts a damper on my plans, doesn't it? Eh, whatever.  
  
  
**Suze's POV, 5 years later, Isabella's starting kindergarten at the mission:  
**"Susannah, Jesse! How good to see you, when it doesn't revolve around mediator business!" Father Dom said, as Jesse and I sat down in front of his big desk.  
  
"Well, that's not entirely true..." I said. Father Dom's happy look went down slightly. "Oh?"  
  
"Isabella here," I said, picking up Isabella and putting her on my lap, "Is showing signs of being one."  
  
"Oh, a budding little mediator!" Father Dom said.  
  
"She won't confirm it either way." Jesse said. "But whenever Mr. Simon comes for a visit, she runs to the general area of where he is."  
  
"Daddy, I told you. I was running from Spike!" Isabella said, her tiny voice raising with each word, and her big green eyes getting bigger. "That cat is psychotic!"  
  
"Where'd you learn that word?" Jesse said. I looked down guiltily. "Susannah..."  
  
"Oh, he is." I said. "But that's beside the point. Father Dom, will you please try and work some magic on Isabella?"  
  
"Mommy!" I thought she was going to protest, but usually she'll just start babbling like I do and not jump off my lap. She ran to the window and looked outside. "Can I go play outside??"  
  
"Not right now, Izzy." I said. "Besides, there's no one to play with out there." I said glancing out. I clearly saw a small boy, about 7, running around. He reminded me of Timothy, the kid I'd gotten Spike from, and was glowing.  
  
"Yes there is, Mommy!" Isabella pointed out at the boy. "He's right there!" Father Dom, Jesse, and myself all looked at her.  
  
Sighing, Isabella gave up. "Fine, fine. I see dead people. Are you happy?"  
  
"Very." I said. "Father Dom, what's with the kid outside?"  
  
"Daddy...." Isabella whined. I never answered her about going outside, so she was moving on to Jesse.  
  
"Yes, yes. Go on, but be nice!" Jesse called as Isabella ran outside.  
  
"Poor kid." Father Dom said. "His name was Gabe Saunders. Got hit by a car last week, and hasn't moved on anywhere. Usually young ones leave quickly, so I'm not sure why he's not moving..." We watched as Isabella approached Gabe. They started talking animatedly, and playing games. All of a sudden, Gabe disappeared in a bright white light.  
  
Isabella came running in. "Mommy, Daddy, I mediated my first ghost!"  
  
"And she did it without resorting to violence. Susannah, you could learn from her." I heard from behind me.  
  
"Haha, Dad." I said turning around.  
  
"¡Abuelito!" Isabella shouted. She ran to dad and said, "Did you see it? He actually left, unlike that other meanie!"  
  
"Other meanie?" Jesse said with raised eyebrows. "What other meanie? Hello, Mr. Simon." Jesse added as an afterthought. Of course, my dad had just picked up Isabella, so he now knew where he was standing and could say hello.  
  
"There's this guy who's been coming around at night." Isabella said in her tiny voice. "He's mommy's age and says he's a good friend."  
  
All the color drained from my cheeks. How the hell is he back? "Isabella, has he hurt you?" I asked angrily.  
  
"Calm down, Suze." Dad said. "I'm there to protect her. It's that Slater guy." I told Jesse this, who looked murderous.  
  
"The fact that he's back is nothing." Dad said. "He's been resurrected."  
  
"Say what?" Father Dom asked.  
  
"Father D, my lingo doesn't work on you." I said. I turned to tell Jesse this, only to find that Jesse was sitting in a chair, deep in thought. "How did he get resurrected?"  
  
"You heard him?" I said.  
  
"Yes. And I can see him as well." Jesse said. "I don't know why, but I can. Let's just be grateful."  
  
"Ok, Pops." I said, looking at my dad. "Spill. What's going on in Ghostland?"  
  
"Rumor has it, that after you dragged him up to the shadowland, he was about to go through a door." Dad said. Guess I got through to him. "Until Dylan Sakoda stopped him."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Shifter from the midwest. And descendent of Martha, the ghost residing in your home, I believe?" Dad continued.  
  
"Why..." I trailed off. Dad continued before I could finish my question.  
  
"Dylan felt bad for Paul. And apparently, isn't too fond of you, pumpkin." I opened my mouth to ask what I ever did to him but Jesse silenced me. "I don't know why, but he isn't." Dad said.  
  
"Now, Paul is alive, but he doesn't have his shifter powers." Dad said. Father D breathed a sigh of relief, and Isabella said, "But he's still plently scary when he wants to be."  
  
I shuddered. "Isabella, how long has he been coming by?" Jesse asked, using his 'I'm-your-father-tell-me-right-now' voice.  
  
"A couple months." Isabella said.  
  
"Why didn't you say anything?"  
  
"Because I didn't want you to think I was nuts, like Grandma did when I told her I saw Max running around outside after he died!"  
  
That was horrific. Max had to be put down, but the damn animal refused to leave. He was running around outside and Isabella asked if she could go play with him. Mom had a fit when I picked her up later that night. Finally, we got him to move on.  
  
"So how is Paul coming into my daughter's room at night?" I said. Dad shrugged. Jesse picked up Isabella and Father Dom pulled out a very old book from a shelf and flipped to a couple pages.  
  
"He's too smart for his own good. Or ours, for that matter." Father Dom said after reading the page a couple times.  
  
"Why?" Jesse asked. "What has he done?"  
  
"Well, he's learned how to astral project, it seems." Father Dom said. I glanced over at the book. "Astral what?"  
  
"Same deal as shifting. He leaves his body and, instead of going to the shadowland, goes to Isabella's room." Dad said.  
  
"Dammit." I said under my breath.  
  
"But there is good news." My dad said.  
  
"Which is?" Jesse said.  
  
"If Paul dies in his current form, then he goes straight to the shadowland." Peter said. "No being a ghost or anything like that. It's straight to the hallway of horror and through a doorway."  
  
I sat thoughtful for a moment. "So anyone got a shotgun?" I said, only partially joking.  
  
"Susannah!" Father Dom missed my humor, I suppose.  
  
  
  
Jesse and I got home a few hours later, after enrolling Isabella at the Mission for kindergarten. She went straight to sleep and Jesse and I settled into bed for a little bit.  
  
"I cannot believe he's freaking back." I said angrily. I didn't say freaking however, which earned me a Look from Jesse.  
  
"Sorry." I said. He hates when I use that kind of language. "It's just very unbelievable."  
  
"I know, querida." Jesse said soothingly, pulling me towards him. "But you beat him once, you can do it again."  
  
"Yeah." I wasn't focusing on Paul at the moment. I was focusing on Jesse's lips on my neck. I moaned lightly...  
  
Ah, the joys of married life!


	6. New Prey for Paul

**Esodes08:** I know. Isabella's got it good. Except when it comes to Grandma, cuz grandma don't believe any of that stuff. I don't know, I may work something out....  
  
**UnangelicHalo:** No prob. I love your stories. :)  
  
**PoeticKiss:** Martha will be making an appearence in the next chapter. It's going to be a LOOOOOOOOOONG chapter...I'm warning everyone now... :) I forget what happened to Lia...I'm currently reading "Don't Look Behind You" and then I'm moving on to "Reunion" in the mediator series.  
  
**Note:** This chapter takes place when Isabella is 16. She now has two younger siblings, 9 year old Lucas Ricardo, and 7 year old Carmen Summer. All three are mediators, but Isabella is also a shifter

  
**Isabella's POV:  
**"I'm baaaaaaack." I heard from the far corner of my room.  
  
"Go away, Paul!" I said, turning over so I wouldn't face him and pulling the blankets to my head. "I swear, you get more annoying every time I see you." It was true too; He popped in whenever he felt like, completely disregarding if I were busy or changing or something.  
  
"Aw, don't be like that, Izzy." I hated when anyone called me Izzy. It was Isabella, or Bella. That was all! He called me Izzy to get me mad enough to try and fight him, and then he'd attempt to seduce me. Unfortunately, he was fine as hell, and resisting did not come easy to me. I stared straight ahead at the wall in front of me, wishing I could be anywhere else right now. Like Jamaica with my best friend, Morgan, and her family. Darn summer vacations!  
  
"Izzy...Izzy...Izzy..." Paul taunted, sitting down on my bed behind me. I curled up into a ball and made myself as small as possible in a desparate attempt to get him away from me. "You are so much like your mother, Isabella." Paul whispered in my ear. His breath tickled my earlobe and I shuddered.  
  
"You have the same eyes...same attitude...know the same ways to drive me craaaaaazy without even trying...." Paul whispered, one hand now gliding up my arm. I got shivers up my spine and felt my whole body tense up. I squeezed my eyes shut, but Paul continued.  
  
"Izzy...we could be great together...if you just let it happen...." His hands now roamed freely down my side, tickling my hip. _Don't believe him! He said the same things to mom! It's all a trick!  
_  
Since I was 5 years old, and I had first met Paul Slater, I had heard the horror stories about how he stalked mom. He couldn't deal with the fact that he had lost her to dad, and so he tried to scare her into being with him. He even hypnotised her once! Then he shot her, and kidnapped mom on her seventeenth birthday, the same night Dad proposed to her, took her to the awful shadowlands (I've been once, and it's horrible!) for TWO DAYS! Paul Slater was evil, and just using me to get something. I refused to give in!  
  
But why did he have to be so damn fine? Seriously. Paul had dark hair, a perfect tan, a politician's smile, piercing blue eyes....the only thing wrong with his face is his nose. It's been broken about thirty zillion times- mostly by mom and dad- and shows. Paul looks pretty much the same as he did the night he died, except since he was resurrected when I was six months old, he's aged slightly. He still looks like he's in his twenties as opposed to his thirties, though.  
  
I so don't go for older guys, I really don't. Except when they look as fine as Paul does. _No!_ I told myself. _FIGHT IT!  
_  
"I swear to God, Paul, if you don't get out of here, I'm going to scream." I said through gritted teeth. I risked waking Luke and Carmen, but they would deal. Mom and Dad would come running, and I bet Grandpa would too. Hell, grandpa's probably right here, waiting for me to yell so he can kick Paul's ass. "Now, hands off!"  
  
I pulled his hand off of my belly button, where several fingers had been trying to dip a little lower, if you know what I mean., and pulled those same fingers backwards. I didn't stop until I heard a very satisfying _crunch!_ sound, meaning I'd broken them. Paul scowled at me, looked like he was going to backhand me with his good hand, and then disappeared.  
  
"Bout time!" I sighed and tried to go to sleep. It was four in the morning, and mom would flip out if I was sleep walking at 10, when I had to go put in a few hours at SDS Fashions. Lucky dad. Since he quit his job as a cop after a stray bullet hit him in the leg, he's been teaching history at the Mission, so he gets summers off. He doesn't even have to go in and help mom at the store, even though he usually does. I tossed and turned for a few hours, finally drifting off around 6:30 or so. I was so going to blame Paul if I was a walking nightmare the next day.  
  
  
  
"Bella! Mom says up now!!" Carmen said right in my face. I blinked open my eyes and wished that I had been an only child. I growled.  
  
"Morning Bella!" Carmen said brightly. She's always been like that, awake and perky in the mornings. "Guess what?" She asked excitedly, plopping down on my bed. I forced myself up and said, "What?"  
  
"I mediated a human ghost this morning!" Carmen said excitedly.  
  
"Cool!" This I actually was excited about. For a long time, the only ghosts Carmen got were the ones of animals. She'd only had a handful of human ghosts- most of which required Mom, me, or Father Dom to step in. I really think she should stick with animals. I really do.  
  
"Yups. Martha said I did a good job, and I almost made her want to move on!" Carmen said brightly. That was something. Martha's been here since before I was born, and has been dead since World War One. Mom says that Martha has vowed to never move on, because she wants to see "the end of the world."  
  
I think she's nuts and needs to move on. Or stop coming up to my room when I have friends over. Whatever.  
  
"Isabella! Carmen! Get a move on!" Mom yelled up the steps. Carmen went bouncing from the room. I threw on my new Tripp baggy pants- courtesy of Hot Topic, on sale- and a Lost Prophets band shirt and headed down myself. I walked in the kitchen and saw mom and dad being all lovey-dovey- again. Mom was standing in front of the stove, shutting off the burners, and Dad was behind her, kissing mom's neck. I made a face and said, "Get a room!"  
  
Mom coughed and batted Dad away. "Oh, before I forget, I'm going to Morgan's tonight." I said. That was the general code among my friends for I'm unavailable at the moment, either ghost-busting or dealing with the living. None of my friends know about my lovely ability to see dead people, so things get weird when I have to deal with one.  
  
"Just one minute, young lady." Dad said. He never calls me young lady, unless I'm about to get grounded. "Isn't Morgan's family in Jamaica right now?"  
  
Damn. "Oh yeah. I meant, I'm going to Hailey's." I hurriedly said, covering my slip up. Dad gave me a look that clearly said he knew I wasn't going to be at Hailey's. I took a gulp of my orange juice before anyone could question me.  
  
"Fine, be back before two, please?" Mom said. She's generally cool about me being out all night, seeing as I don't get into near as many life-or- death situations as she did when she was my age. Except, of course, with Paul Slater. Mom says one of these days he'll die and then we'll be free, but I highly doubt it. He's too smart to get himself killed. When I voiced that, Dad said he'd love to be the one to kill Slater himself, followed by a lot of Spanish swearing I'm not allowed to repeat but do anyway.  
  
"Susannah, how can you let her be out that late?" Dad asked, throwing the paper down. He's WAY over protective.  
  
"She's a good kid, has a cell phone, and her license." Mom replied. "Which is more than I ever had."  
  
"You didn't need a cell phone or a license, querida." Dad said. "You had me."  
  
"Well, that's true." Mom said. Aw, now they're making lovey eyes at each other. "But Isabella doesn't have someone like you around to protect her. Besides, she'll be fine." Mom tossed the keys to me. I had miraculously gotten out of having to go to the store with them- but only because Carmen and Lucas wanted to go swimming, so I had to go along and supervise.  
  
"Take my car, it's safer." Mom's car kicks ass! It's this little V8 Bug that used to belong to Uncle Adam. He and Aunt CeeCee aren't my actual aunt and uncle, but that's what we call them anyways. Besides, their daughter, Emily, is like, one of my best friends, so they're like, second parents to me. That's more than I can say for Rachel, my blood cousin, and Uncle Jake and Aunt Gina's daughter. She's a royal pain in my arse, and has her parents snowed. Oh well. At least she's the only cousin I can't stand. The rest of them rock.  
  
Dad grumbled something in Spanish and picked upt he paper again. Carmen came bouncing in- she doesn't walk. She BOUNCES everywhere- and said, "Bella! BEACH! PLEASE?!"  
  
I shoved a piece of toast in my mouth to avoid answering right away. Carmen sat down on my lap, already in her swimwear, and whined, "PLEEEEEASE???" a couple trillion times until I said, "Let me get my suit on and then we will go!"  
  
"YAY!!!!!!!!!!!" And out of the room she bounced. I groaned, threw on my black bikini, and got in the car where Carmen and Luke were already waiting. Luke is my silent brother. He doesn't really talk, unless you talk to him. Then it's enough to answer you, but nothing more. He did not inheiret the babbling gene from mom, like Carmen and I did. He inheireted the silent gene from dad, along with Dad's dark brown eyes, black hair, and tanned skin. Carmen looked the most like mom, with her emerald eyes, like me, and brown hair with a slight reddish tint to it. When Luke got older, he would probably start looking more like dad. Carmen was short, like mom, and would have mom's figure in a few years. I already had it, as Paul loves to remind me, but luckily, I was gracing the skies at 5'5- and not yet done growing!  
  
We got to the beach, and spread out our blankets near the lifeguard's tower. Luke and Carmen ran towards the water immediately and I joined them for a little bit. After a half hour or so, after a million warnings, I laid back on my towel and started to dry off. I laid down on my stomach, facing the water so I could see the kids, and started to daydream.  
  
"Mmm Mmm, you lookin' good today, De Silva." Usually a comment like this would get the one who said it slapped and in need of a testical retrival process. However, since the person who said it was Josh Bennett, the hottest senior in school, I chose very graciously to ignore it and smile.  
  
"Thanks. You're not looking too bad yourself, Bennett." I said, smiling even more. He flashed me a grin and caught up with his surfing buddies to get suited up. Goddamn, he has one awesome six-pack! And Josh Bennett makes Paul look like worm chow in the looks department with sun-bleached shaggy hair, a gorgous smile, smoky gray eyes, and a body to kill for. Ripped is the only way to describe it and do him justice. I must have been staring or something, because I didn't hear Paul- in non-astral form- come and set up his towel next to ours.  
  
"Izzy, why don't you stare at me that way?" Paul asked, sounding hurt. I jumped, and shook my head of various fantasies about Josh before sending Paul a deathglare. "See, all I get are those kind of looks!"  
  
"Wonder why." I muttered darkly. "Go away." I said.  
  
"Free beach, Izzy." Paul smirked. "I can be here if I want."  
  
"Fine. Then I'll go." I said, getting up. I stormed away from him, past Josh and his friends, and straight into the water with Carmen and Luke. I heard Paul laugh and he was probably going to come into the water with us. Why, oh why, couldn't mom have had normal boyfriends? You know, the kind that die and _don't_ get resurrected and make my life a living hell?  
  
"Hey, Isabella!" Josh yelled from shore.  
  
"Yeah?" I called back, kind of breathless.  
  
"You teach surfing, right?"  
  
"Yeah." I said after walking up to meet him at the edge of the shore. My uncles Brad and Jake have had me hooked on surfing since I was seven, and I just started teaching it. "Why?"  
  
"Genius here," Josh said, pointing to Kevin Mitchell, who's nice enough, but a klutz. I wouldn't let him near my board, even if my life depended on it. "Wants to learn how. I've seen you surf, you're probably the best one to teach him."  
  
Hot soon-to-be-senior Josh Bennett has seen partially-attractive-on-a-good-day soon-to-be-junior Isabella De Silva surf? There _is_ a God! "I'm really not." I said, being modest. Also afraid. I could get injured teaching Kevin how to surf. Hell, teaching him how to do _anything_ may leave a bruise.  
  
"Izzy, don't be so modest." Paul said, sneaking up on us. I tensed up and hoped no one noticed. "She's the best surfer I've ever seen." Damn him. Josh and everyone looked at me expectantly, because if a total stranger to them will back me up, it must be true.  
  
"So, what do you say, Izzy?" Kevin asked, looking kind of hopeful. I sighed.  
  
"Alright. Tomorrow, noon, right here. Bring your own board." I said, giving in. "And if you call me Izzy again, all deals are off." I shot Paul my trademark look of death and started to walk back to Carmen and Luke as everyone dispersed.  
  
"Hey, can I call you Izzy?" Josh asked, grabbing me by the elbow. "Or, yanno, just call you?"  
  
Josh Bennett can call me anything he wishes! "Uh, yeah. Sure." I smiled at him and he returned it, putting my home and cell number into his cell phone. Since both of my numbers have caller ID, I didn't take down his numbers, because I could write them down if and when he called. Josh and I said goodbye and I joined my siblings. "Who wants lunch?" I asked. It was almost two, and I was surprised to see we'd been here for almost three hours already.  
  
"ME ME!" Carmen bounced out of the water and attached her sandy self to my leg. "How 'bout you, Luke? Ready for some grub?" I asked.  
  
"Sure." Luke said. Damn that silentness. I made them dry off completely before we got in the car and went to the nearest fast-food place. I saw that Paul had left, thank God. I hoped he wouldn't come visit me that night.


	7. Sleeping With The Enemy Or is he?

**PoeticKiss:** Thanks for reviewing! Bella is a lot like Suze. I wanted to write her as being a rebellious teenager, with the staying out all night and everything, but her parents have a vague idea why. I mean, it's not always ghost-busting that keeps her out til 2am, but Suze and Jesse think it is.  
  
**Clavel:** Yeah, I was trying to get that part across when I was describing Luke. He's going to look a lot like Jesse when he grows up! As for butt- kickage on Paul's part, well, I'm not sure yet how that's going to work out. He may get it kicked by Jesse, or Suze, or Isabella, or Josh, or someone else....who knows? Keep reading though, it won't suck, that much I promise :)  
  
**UnangelicHalo:** Somehow, I sensed you were like Carmen. Bubbly and bouncy. Your reviews show it sometimes.  
  
**Note:** Lemon in this chapter. It's not because I'm hormonal. Really! It will all make sense at the end of the chapter!

  
**Isabella's POV:  
**"Bella!!! PHONE!!!!" Carmen screamed up the steps. I picked up my extension, hoping it was Josh. "Hello?" I said, somewhat flirtily.  
  
"Hey Izzy." Ok, that wasn't Josh.  
  
"How the hell did you get my number?" I asked angrily. Stupid Paul. Why can't he take a hint?  
  
"You should be careful about what you say in public, Izzy." Stupid bastard. Why couldn't mom and dad be here right now? They went to pick up a shipment for the store that got delivered to the wrong place. Instead of pay to have it shipped to the right place, Mom and Dad went to go get it. Grrrrrr!  
  
As it is, I'm about to be all alone tonight! Luke's going to a friend's, and so is Carmen! It didn't take as long as I thought it would to deal with this ghost, so I'm now free for the night. Dammit!  
  
"Whatever. I don't have time for the same old stalker shit." I hung up. "Carmen, Luke, let's get going!" I yelled. I get to drop them off at various locations. Then I'll probably drive around for awhile. You know, avoid coming home. I securely locked all of the doors and took off.  
  
I left my cell number with each parent after telling them I had to run errands and didn't know how long it would take, so if they needed to reach me it was best to call my cell phone. They all remarked on how I was "So responsible, considering teenagers these days" and said it was fine.  
  
I drove around for what felt like forever. It was after midnight when I got back home. The first thing I noticed was my bedroom light. I'd left it on, as usual, but the room seemed darker than usual. I used bright 100 watt bulbs, so maybe the light was just going out. I tried to put it out of my head as I walked around the lower level of the house, shutting things down and making sure all the doors and windows were still locked. Then I went up to my room.  
  
To see exactly why the room was darker than usual.  
  
It was because Paul had redecorated.  
  
Instead of my dark navy blue walls with faerie posters everywhere, the walls were crimson. All my posters were gone, and the room had an oriental theme. Everything was crimson and gold, with streaks of black. How had he done this? I'd only been gone since 5:30 or so!  
  
"Do you like it, Izzy?" Paul said, coming up behind me from the shadows.  
  
  
I jumped and tried to turn around but Paul had wrapped himself around me. His arms were around my waist, and his lips found my neck. I tensed up as he started kissing me. I felt a shiver of electricity run down my body, and I gasped. In shock, I tried to tell myself. It's all in shock. NOT PLEASURE! _Isabella Marie De Silva, you are NOT enjoying this!  
_  
Oh, but I was!  
  
See, Paul was way too good at kissing for his own good. I felt like I was on fire, and I didn't care that he used to stalk my mom. I mean, yes, he's crazy, and probably just using me to get her pissed off or something, but my mind went on hiatus while he was kissing my neck so thoroughly. His lips found my ear quickly, and then soon, he turned me around and claimed my lips with his. I tried not to moan against his lips, but it was way too hard not too, so I did. We stood there kissing, one of Paul's hands now under my shirt on my waist, stroking my belly button, and the other on the small of my back. Mine were somehow running through his hair. Paul's tongue slipped over mine, smothering me practically. I felt myself stumble backwards to be caught by Paul's strong hands and picked up gracefully. He cradled me in his arms and then laid me down gently on my bed, our lips still locked. It seemed like forever before we broke apart to gasp for air.  
  
Paul put a knee on either side of me, right at my hips, and bent down to kiss me again. But now I had regained my cool and resisted.  
  
For a millisecond.  
  
I moaned louder this time as he took off my top and started to kiss between my breasts. He left a trail of soft kisses down my stomach to the band of my baggy Tripp pants. He untied them, then unbuttoned and unzipped them, sliding them down and off of me. An evil glint showed up in his eyes when he saw my black thong, and he bent down to remove it with his teeth. Growling softly, he flicked across my womanhood, sending shivers up and down my spine, making me scream. My body was shaking, arching up and then falling back down as I neared an explosion I'd only read about in romance novels.  
  
And then, he just stopped. Right as I was going to hit it, he stops.  
  
"Why did you stop?" I asked breathlessly. My chest was rising and falling very rapidly as I tried to regain my breathing.  
  
"Torturing you is my way of pleasuring you, Isabella." Paul said, kissing me. I could taste some of my juices on his tongue and it excited me a little more. Paul had thrown off his shirt and was just wearing very tight jeans and boxers. At least, I assumed he was wearing boxers. With one hand, he shoved two fingers in me, making me break the kiss with an "Oh God!" I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, and moaned it over and over. "Oh God...Oh god...Oh god!!!!!!"  
  
And again he stops! "You're killing me when you stop." I said breathless again.  
  
A slow smile spread over his face. Paul held my body to his, kissing me with fire and passion. I kissed him back, moving my hands to his pants and unzipping and unbuttoning them. Paul stood and threw them off, then stood before me in his boxers.  
  
Boxers that looked unbearably tight on him.  
  
"May I?" I asked innocently. My hands went to the band of his boxers and with an evil urge, I ripped them off. His manhood came out from its confines and I just sat there on the edge of my bed in shock.  
  
Damn. 8 and a half inches, easy. And he wasn't yet completely erect.  
  
Question: How the hell does that fit in me?  
  
Answer: Very carefully, that's how! I reached out and touched it, letting my fingers glide down. It felt like a piece of steel wrapped in a velvet blanket. I quickened my hand, stroking him until Paul stopped me with a low growl.  
  
With no warning, he grabbed my wrists and flung me back on my bed. Holding my wrists above my head with a pillow, Paul whispered, "Isabella...Are you ready for a wild ride?"  
  
I could only nod. Paul entered me, slowly at first, until he hit my barrier. I smiled, letting him know to continue, and he did. I screamed as my innocence was taken, and clawed at Paul's back playfully. My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I was very aware of a new sensation in my stomach. A very ticklish feeling had replaced the pain of breaking my hymen, and I began a thrust into me. Paul began thrusting with wild abandon, sending bolts of electricity through me. I heard screaming, and wondered who it was coming from before realizing I was the one screaming! With one last thrust, Paul came in me and seconds later, I exploded, arching my back to reach it, screaming for all I was worth. I felt dizzy as I collapsed onto my bed, panting.  
  


Paul shakily kissed me. He let our breathing get back to normal before speaking. "See Izzy? I told you we could be great." He whispered in my ear.  
  
Funny how that one line can bring me careening back to Earth. _Shit!_ I thought. _I just slept with Mom's mortal enemy! The guy who made so much of her life hell!  
_  
I'm so fucking grounded!

Forget any dates with Josh Bennett. I'm never going to be able to date anyone. Like, ever.  
  
I realized Paul was still in me when he thrust again and started to whisper sexual suggestions to me. As tempting as he was, I had to say with all the strength I could, "Paul, get off of me, please."  
  
Paul did as he was asked, letting me sit up. I pulled the blanket around me, still in major disbelief. "What's wrong?" Paul asked. He pulled on his boxers and sat next to me at the head of my bed. I'd pulled my knees up to my chest, still wrapped in my comforter, and put my head down, closing my eyes against the disbelief.  
  
Instead of say what was really wrong, I asked how my room had gotten so different. Turns out this was all a hologram Paul had whipped up to impress me. When he left, my normal room would return.  
  
"Why me?" I whispered to the blankets.  
  
"Because you're a beautiful person, Isabella." I heard Paul voice.  
  
"So?" I shot back. "Why couldn't you have started stalking one of your other ex-girlfriend's kids? Why me?"  
  
"I'm not sure." Paul said, trying to pull me into his arms. I got out of it though. "But I think I love you more than I loved your mother. And that is saying something, let me tell you." He grinned at me.  
  
"Can you just go, please? For my sake, for mom and dad's sake, for everyone's sake, can you just go and never come back?" I pleaded.  
  
Paul looked hopeless. I don't think anyone had ever seen him look hopeless, unless he was faking it. He tried to reason with me. "Isabella, I can give you the world. I can give you anything you want! Why don't you want me now? You feel something, Isabella. You had to, or what we just did wouldn't have been so amazing!"  
  
"Paul, don't you see? You're my mother's age! I can't date someone that old!" I said. Maybe a little harsh, but I had to say something! "Can't you just give me time to think?" I pleaded again.  
  
"Age doesn't mean a thing, Isabella." Paul said. He put on his clothes. "I will, however, let you think. Think up a good reason for why you and I can't make it work." Paul leaned down and pulled my face to his. It started as a gentle kiss, then turned to one of full-scale passion. Breathless, I pulled away. "Go." I said shakily.  
  
Paul went. He'd astral projected, I supposed, and once he was gone, my room was gone, erased of all of Paul's redecorating.  
  
Unfortunately, it couldn't erase the memories of what I'd done.  
  
Or rather, _who_ I'd done.  
  
"So how was he?" Martha asked. She appeared in my doorway, arms folded, a smirk on her face. She had seen everything.  
  
I groaned and threw myself down on my bed.  
  
"Well, Dylan certainly didn't expect this." Martha said, coming into my room.  
  
"Dylan?" I'd heard of him. He was the one who brought Paul back to life. The reason life was hell.  
  
"Oh yes." Martha clucked her tongue and started picking up my dirty clothes. "Dylan's big plan to bring Paul back to life, and then use him to destroy the most powerful shifter on the planet because then HE would be the most powerful shifter on the planet. I'm sure it didn't include Paul falling in love with you. Now there's no way he'll destroy your family."  
  
Oh great. We all get to live because I screwed Paul. Well, maybe I won't get grounded then. Wait a second- "You mean to tell me, mom is the most powerful shifter on the planet?"  
  
"I didn't say that." Martha said.  
  
"Well, who else could it be? Dad's not a shifter- he's only a mediator, and that was a fluke! Carmen and Luke aren't either, I'm the only other shifter in the fam-" Realization dawned on me. "Oh Jesus, I'm a blonde. I'M the most powerful shifter on the planet?"  
  
Martha nodded. "So Dylan was going to use Paul to kill me?" Another curt nod. "Dammit!" I swore. "This sucks! I finally find someone that I kinda- maybe-sorta love in a confusing way and he's supposed to off me!"  
  
"You love him?" Martha asked, incredulous.  
  
"Kinda-maybe-sorta in a really confusing way." I said into the pillows I'd flopped my head into. Martha held all my dirty clothes now and said, "Then tell him."  
  
She disappeared without another word, taking my clothes with her. I was putting on new ones when I heard mom and dad come in downstairs.  
  
I met them at the landing. They obviously weren't expecting me, as dad was carrying mom up the steps, making these weird growling noises- kinda like what Paul made earlier. "Hey sweetie!" Mom said, jumping down from dad's arms. "I thought you were at Hailey's til 2?" Mom sounded so confused.  
  
Blessed confusion! "We need to talk." I said gravely. We sat down in their room and I spilled everything- well, not everything. It's just not cool to tell your parents you had sex with their mortal enemy. I spilled everything Martha had told me. About the whole most-powerful-shifter-on- the-planet thing.  
  
"Oh dear." Mom said quietly. Dad got up and started pacing near the big windows in their room, muttering in Spanish. Most of it was swearing with an occasional death threat.  
  
"Isabella...Go to bed now. Try not to think about anything. We'll think of something, alright?" Mom said, furrowing her brow and looking worried.  
  
I said goodnight and went to my room. I shut the door, hoping Paul wouldn't show up like he was prone to. I didn't sleep much that night. I kept waking up at every little sound, thinking it was Paul.


	8. Together and In Love

**PoeticKiss:** I feel kinda bad for Paulie in this series. I've been kinda mean to him, I think I'm going to be a little nicer to him....I don't mind at all if you review Heartbreaker again. Totally cool!  
  
**UnangelicHalo:** NO! She's not pregnant! Ah! Good twist though....hmmm...  
  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the original Mediator characters, or song clips used. Songs include:  
  
"I'm a Fool" by American Hi-Fi  
  
"Hanging By A Moment" by Lifehouse  
  
  
**Paul's POV:  
**I looked at the dead phone with a smirk. Isabella was scared. Maybe that would make tonight easier...  
  
I'm still not sure how it happened. I was thinking one day, when Isabella was about 12, about how to get even with De Silva. I'd lost Suze to him, but I wanted revenge. I'm just that kind of guy.  
  
Then it hit me. I'd use Isabella! It was killing him knowing I come into his oldest daughter's room, probably because he remembers what happened when Suze and I were in her room. And Isabella looks so much like Suze did when she was 16. So, I'd seduce Isabella and then De Silva would be pissed. I'd get my revenge, and a little booty, if I played my cards right.  
  
Then I fell in love. And, man, did I fall hard. Harder than with Suze. I was supposed to be destroying Isabella, kill her family, make her suffer, and then kill her so that Dylan would be the all-powerful shifter. But I couldn't do it. I fell in love with Isabella.  
  
Funny thing is, I now had to admit to Suze that she had been right all those years ago. That all I'd had with her was lust. Because this was the real deal with Isabella. I knew it at the beach earlier that day, when I saw her flirt with that other guy. I felt like a red hot poker had been struck through my chest. I knew it all those nights when I'd watch Isabella sleep, mimicking the way De Silva watched Suze. I felt it every time she'd touch me, even if it was to hurt me.  
  
I loved her. I loved her more than I'd loved anyone or anything. I couldn't destroy her. I couldn't do anything but protect her and love her.  
  
So I did. I set up a hologram in her room, and then loved her. Oh, god, I wanted to love her all night! I wanted to get lost in her big green eyes, kiss every inch of her body, lose myself in her.  
  
And then I spoke. Ruining the mood. "See Izzy? I told you we could be great." I whispered in her ear, still in her, leaning down to kiss her again. I knew I'd sparked some thought in her head because her eyes got wide with realization. I had to get her back to the moment, all thoughts erased.  
  
I thrust into her a little, enough to make her gasp, and whispered little inneundos to her. I know she wanted it, she was breathless as she said, "Paul, get off of me, please."  
  
WHAT? I got off of her, letting her sit up. She pulled the blanket up around her, covering her body with it and putting her head down. I pulled on my torn boxers (she's an animal!) and said, "What's wrong?" I sat down next to her.  
  
Isabella just asked how her room had gotten so different. I told her about the hologram, and then added, "It's to impress you."  
  
Instead of looking impressed and happy and throwing herself at me so we could make love again, she whispered to her blanketed knees, "Why me?"  
  
"Because you're a beautiful person." I said. Oops, that was out loud? Oh well.  
  
_So?_ She asked. _Why couldn't I stalk some other ex's kids? Why did it have to be her?  
_  
"I'm not sure." I tried to pull her to me. She escaped and I continued, with a grin, "But I think I love you more than I loved your mother. And that is saying something, let me tell you."  
  
She asked me to leave, for everyone's sake. I tried to reason with her. "Isabella, I can give you the world. I can give you anything you want! Why don't you want me now? You feel something, Isabella. You had to, or what we just did wouldn't have been so amazing!" Because it had been. I'd had a lot of girls, but Isabella...Isabella was incredible.  
  
She said she couldn't date me because I was Suze's age. Yes, it would be a little weird, but hello! Her own parents had a May-December romance. Then she asked me to leave her be so she could think.  
  
"Age doesn't mean a thing, Isabella." I said, putting my clothes on. "I will, however, let you think. Think up a good reason for why you and I can't make it work." I kissed Isabella, soft and gentle at first, bringing up the passion at the end. Isabella gasped as she broke off, shakily telling me to go.  
  
I left, but came back a second later. I astral projected to her closet, and overheard Martha telling Isabella about Dylan's plans. Plans where I was supposed to kill her, but couldn't because I was in love. "So Dylan was going to use Paul to kill me?" Isabella asked. Martha nodded sharply.  
  
"Dammit!" Isabella swore. She was so cute when she was pissed. "This sucks! I finally find someone that I kinda-maybe-sorta love in a confusing way and he's supposed to off me!"  
  
Kinda-maybe-sorta love in a confusing way? I knew she loved me! Even as confused as she is! Aha!!!  
  
Martha said something, and Isabella replied, "Kinda-maybe-sorta in a really confusing way."  
  
"Then tell him." Martha said disappearing.  
  
Yes! Tell me! Isabella pulled on new clothes- clothes I longed to rip off of her- and left. I heard Suze and De Silva come up the steps, and twenty minutes later, Isabella returned to her room, looking depressed. She turned off the light and collapsed on her bed, falling into a fitful sleep. I watched her from the closet, as she tossed and turned, jumping up at every noise. I longed to comfort her, to hold her and assure her I would never hurt her, but my past actions speak louder than the words I can ever say.  
  
_Don't wanna make you hurt  
Don't wanna make you feel  
Like the world ain't on your side  
Like you're never gonna get it right  
No I can't fight I can't sleep at night  
Just thinking about you girl  
I'm a fool for you  
_  
Of course, my present actions can speak a lot louder than anything else.  
  
I sighed and watched Isabella's attempts at sleep. At dawn, she said screw it, and got up, taking a really long hot shower before getting dressed.  
  
_I'm falling even more in love with you  
letting go of all I've held onto  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you_  
  
**Isabella's POV:  
**I jumped again. This sound was the sound of Mom coughing, across the hall. I looked outside to see that it was dawn. I'd gotten a grand total of, like, 45 minutes of sleep. "Screw it." I muttered. I got up and went to my bathroom and took a long hot shower. When I got out, I went to my closet to get clothes- to see Paul standing there.  
  
"AHHHHHHHH! What the hell?!" I screamed.  
  
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Paul said, sounding all sweet and gentle and sincere. I totally believed him, or wanted to anyways.  
  
"It's ok." I said, clutching my robe around me. "Can you please leave?" I asked. I didn't want to chance telling him I kinda-maybe-sorta loved him...no matter how confusing it was.  
  
"Isabella, I heard you...last night. The conversation with Martha." Ok, admitting he'd eavesdropped on a private converstaion isn't the way to get to my heart. But wait...  
  
"How much did you hear?" I asked shakily, knowing full well he had to have heard everything.  
  
"I love you too." Paul said, sincere as hell, meaning every word. I couldn't speak. I didn't want to speak. My head was screaming something, my heart was screaming something, they were both at odds with each other. The only clear thing in my brain at that moment was, "He loves me? Woohoo!"  
  
Only to be replaced with, "He loves me? Noooo!!!"  
  
I must have stood there for what felt like forever, staring at the floor, fire burning my cheeks. Paul pulled my face up by the chin, gently, and locked his gaze with mine. I looked into his blue eyes and saw something in him I don't think anyone else saw.  
  
_He really did love me._ I couldn't speak as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. Paul seemed surprised at this, but recovered quickly and kissed me back, holding my waist. I didn't care that he was mom's age. I didn't care that he was suppossed to off me. I didn't care that mom and dad would no doubt disown me if they caught us.  
  
Ok, I cared a little bit about that last one. But not enough to stop kissing him.  
  
When we broke apart, I gasped for air, and Paul's astral self picked me up gently and carried me to my bed. We laid there for a good half hour, making out. We didn't go any further than that though.  
  
I loved him. No more kinda-maybe-sorta's. No more in-a-really-confusing- way's. Here it is in black and white: I love Paul Slater.  
  
And I don't care who has issues with it.  
  



	9. Confrontations and Deadly Plans

Ok, I'm replying to the Graduating Psychic posts on here too, even though this is MiniMediator....  
  
**UnangelicHalo:** Yes, Suze and Jesse would kill her...Of course there's the whole he-won't-kill-us-cuz-he-loves-me thing Isabella has going for her. Heartbreaker was a one-shot. I have AIM, InnocentChic616 or PunkGothBabyGirl.  
  
**PoeticKiss:** No, she's a five year old in a five year old's body. Chris was reading her mind, and when Katelyn turns 35, she's going to start her world- take-over stuff. I might do a oneshot or something to complete it...I dunno yet...See! I felt bad for how I've been all mean to Paulie, the psychos need love too! There's going to be alot of dealing with the issues in this chapter...I can't say anything though right now, it'll ruin it.  
  
**HeidiGirl:** Mucho Gracias!!! (Many Thanks, but I have no idea if the spelling is correct...) As I said before, I may do a one shot. I don't know yet. Depends....  
  
**Clavel:** He does really care about her! Paul loves Izzy!!! Ah!!!  
  
and now, Chapter 9 of Mini Mediator: Confrontations and Deadly Plans  
  
  
**Isabella's POV:  
**"Bella? You coming?" Hailey yelled. We were standing at the beach, getting ready to leave. I had been staring at the ocean, spacing out, as usual. It was three days and two nights after Paul and I had declared our love for each other, and I'd seen him both nights. I still hadn't told mom and dad about us, though.  
  
"Yeah, I'm coming!" I yelled back. I picked up my towel and slung it around my waist. Trudging through the sand, I made my way to Hailey's car, which held me, her, and our surfboards.  
  
Hailey had tagged along for Kevin's second surfing lesson. I had begged her to. Kevin was a danger to the ocean. We got suited up and I started teaching him the basics- only to be smacked several times with his surfboard he wouldn't put down. I had mine laying on the ground, showing him how and where to stand. He didn't put his down, and it was like a comedy routine where someone's holding a board and they keep turning around with it to smack people in the heads with it.  
  
Yeah. Funny on TV. Not so much in real life.  
  
So I begged Hailey to come along, hopefully for my safety. It went better, and I've only got 5 bruises, as opposed to 10 or 15. I only blacked out once too, so that was good. After Hailey dropped me off at home, I made my way through the empty house to my room. For a while, I stood at the foot of the steps, very much contemplating just collapsing right there. I was _sore_. Kevin Mitchell needs to stay away from surfboards. Most things for that matter. Lock him in a padded room, and throw away the key.  
  
The first thing I'm doing when I get up to my room is calling Uncle Jake. Maybe he'll be sympathetic and take this guy off my hands. Or maybe he'll prescribe a really good painkiller. Yes, my uncle Jake- mom used to call him Sleepy, and I can see why- is now a doctor. Way cool when you get sick because it's someone I know and not a stranger. Not so cool because he knows when we're faking sick.  
  
"Ok, Bella." I said, gripping the railing with all my remaining strength. "Just pick up your foot and walk up the steps. It's not that many. You bound up and down them two at a time. Just pick...up...your...feet..." I strained the last four words, still unable to move.  
  
"Fuck it." I muttered. Somehow I collapsed onto the floor, perfectly content to lie there until mom or dad came home and could help me up.  
  
"Need help?"  
  
Or Paul could help me up. Yanno, whoever came along first. I grimaced and said, "Nope. I'm good. Really." By now, I was pretty comfy, so moving didn't look so good.  
  
"Surfing lesson painful?" Paul asked, sitting down on the step above me.  
  
"Kevin Mitchell needs to be locked in a padded room and kept far, FAR away from others." I stated.  
  
Paul laughed, rich and velvety. God, I love his laugh. "Are you sure you don't want to move?" Paul asked, with concern in his voice. "I'm sure laying on bruises isn't too comfortable."  
  
I groaned and started to get up. A sharp pain went through my lower back- where a lovely purple bruise was forming, thanks to Kevin's surfboard- and I fell back, trying not to cry out in pain. "I'm good right here." I said with a grimace. My pain did not escape Paul, however. He scooped me into his arms and said, "Oh, no you aren't."  
  
I gasped in pain as his strong arm hit the bruise on my back. "Sorry." Paul grimaced at my pain, and adjusted his arm so that it didn't touch my bruise anymore. Paul carefully laid me in bed and got an icepack for my back.  
  
I sighed as the cold ice numbed my pain. Paul sat next to me, careful not to jostle the bed too much, and said, "Better now?"  
  
"Much." I nodded. Paul leaned in and kissed me carefully, keeping his weight off of me. I kissed him back, wincing slightly as things started to move forward.  
  
"Not tonight." I whispered, wincing at my bruises. They'll be better by morning, but for right now, they hurt like hell. Paul nodded understandably and just held me after my back had gone numb from the ice.  
  
  
  
"ISABELLA MARIE DE SILVA...NOMBRE DE DIOS, WHAT IS THAT...THAT....THING DOING IN YOUR BED?!"  
  
Oh shit.  
  
We've been found out. And not in the best of positions. Paul had one arm around my waist, and my head was leaning on the other one. I was facing him, with my own arms around his waist. Paul- bless his heart- tried to explain so that I wouldn't get in trouble. He jumped up and started to rant.  
  
Thank God it was just Mom who found us. Dad would have already shot him. "Look, Suze, it's not what it looks like, I swear! Isabella and I are in love. I'll admit it, all I felt for you was lust, but I'll never hurt Isabella, I mean it this time! I lo-" But he couldn't get out the rest of his rant because Mom had slapped him.  
  
"No! Don't hurt him!" I yelled, getting up. Damn, my back is no longer numb. Ow, man, this hurts!!! "Mom, I love him! I can't help it, I just do! You don't get to hurt the man I love!"  
  
Mom looked like I'd slapped her. "You LOVE HIM?!" She shrieked.  
  
"Yes." I said firmly. "And I know there's an age difference, and I know he made your life hell, and I know there's so much against us, but I DON'T CARE! I'm going to be with him!"  
  
Paul wrapped a protective arm around me, avoiding my bruise. "Isabella, how can you love him? He's going to kill you! How do you know this isn't an act?" Mom spat out, not caring that Paul was right there.  
  
"I'm not going to kill her, Suze." Paul said sincerely. "Yes, I was supposed to, to help Dylan, but I can't kill the woman I love. I can't imagine hurting her."  
  
Mom snorted. Fire still blazed in her eyes as she said, "You said the same thing in high school."  
  
"Well, I'm admitting it now." Paul said, still holding me. "I was in lust with you. I'm in love with Isabella."  
  
"And I'm in love with him." I spoke up. I put my own arm around his waist.  
  
Mom looked at us like we were crazy- well, I recieved the crazy look. Paul recieved the "you're Satan, be gone!" look- but eventually sighed. "Isabella, if your father finds out..."  
  
"Dad won't find out." I said hastily.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Mom shot back. "Not much gets past him. He'll figure it out."  
  
"Suze, just trust us, OK?" Paul said. "Jesse won't find out. Not until we tell him."  
  
"You want _me_ to _trust you_?" Mom started laughing uncontrollably. I gave her a Look and sent her out of my room. She was still laughing.  
  
"Parents." I sighed. "Well, at least it was her who found us." I got back into bed, moving my ice pack. My back was feeling better, so I didn't need any more, just a few Advil or something. Paul got me Advil and then sat next to me.  
  
"Yeah. If your dad had found us, I'd be splattered across the wall." Paul commented. I flinched at the image.  
  
Paul kissed me a few minutes later, after closing my door. His body snaked over mine, carefully, not pressing down on me too hard, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands were securely on my waist, rubbing near my belly button. I gasped in pleasure and let him continue.  
  
Pain? What pain? All pain from my bruises- GONE!  
  
Being replaced by the best feeling in the world...Heaven on Earth.  
  
That's what kissing Paul is. Heaven on Earth.  
  
**Dylan's POV: (haha, bet you thought I'd just refer to him all day! NOPES!!! Muhahaha!!)**  
Killing people these days is a hell of a lot harder than it used to be.  
  
I bring the bastard back to life. All I ask for in return is that he kill Isabella and her family so I can be the most powerful shifter on the planet. But nooooooooooooo....He goes and falls in love with Isabella!  
  
Now, I can see him falling for her. She's a babe. Hell, if I had gone to kill her, I'd probably have fallen too.  
  
At first, I thought it was part of his plan. Make her think he loves her too much to kill her, then do it anyways.  
  
No. The real deal. Love with a capital L. So this puts a crimp in my plans.  
  
I'm going to have to kill her myself. Damn. I didn't want to, since I'm alive to the general public and all that and can get turned into the police, but it looks like I'm going to have to.  
  
I shifted to Carmel. I've mastered the whole shift-and-take-your-body-with- you thing. I landed outside the Mission, where Isabella goes to school. Since it was June, school wasn't in session so I could hide out here. I ducked into a janitor's closet as I heard people walking past. Probably teachers finishing up last minute school things.  
  
"Jesse, I'm sure he won't come back." I peeked out to see an elderly priest, presumably Father Dominic, talking to Jesse De Silva. "If you haven't heard from him or about him in awhile, it's very possible he got himself killed."  
  
"Father Dominic, he's too smart to get himself killed." Jesse said hotly. "And Isabella tells me nothing, and when she does, it's half truths! Please, there has to be a way to keep him out of her room!"  
  
"Jesse, you know I don't dabble in magical things. That seems to be what you are asking for."  
  
"Not magical, necessarily. Just something!" Jesse sounded desparate. "Isabella....Isabella's not as strong as Susannah was. I know she likes to think she is, or stronger, but she's not. It may be my over-protective father side, but I don't think she can fight for long against him."  
  
"Jesse, you felt the same way about Susannah." Father Dom said quietly. "And she fought him every step of the way, escaping countless times. Isabella will be fine."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts, Jesse. Isabella will be fine. End of story." Father Dom said. I heard them walk away in silence, and then I stepped out.  
  
Jesse was right about one thing. Isabella wasn't strong enough to fight Paul. Paul had seduced her, and now they were in love. She hadn't been able to fight him. Not for long.  
  
I shifted away, waiting to put my plan into action.  
  
**Paul's POV:  
**I felt Isabella sigh against my lips, a sign that she was very content. I'd been watching her all day. The surfing lesson had been hell, I could tell. Her sweet nature refused to let her quit though, even after she'd blacked out. I saw her come home and collapse on the floor, sore and tired. I thought we were done for when Suze came in.  
  
She yelled, Isabella yelled, I explained...Things were OK when Suze left. I handed Isabella a few Advil to help with the pain in her back and then closed her door. I kissed her, careful to not hurt her, very content myself.  
  
We stayed there for hours it seemed, kissing and occasionally talking. I relished the way Isabella moaned when I kissed her neck, biting down and leaving my mark. I felt her breathing get ragged and her chest rose and fell sharply. I felt her heart pound against mine, and for a minute it was like we were one person.  
  
I threw off my shirt and pressed my body to Isabella's. There was a sharp knock on the door and I tore myself away from her. "Yeah?" Isabella called out.  
  
"Your father's home." Suze yelled.  
  
Isabella's eyes got wide. "Uh, ok!" she yelled back. "You gotta go." she whispered to me.  
  
"Just a few more minutes..." I whispered back, resuming my kissing her neck, and moving to her earlobe. Isabella tensed up and let out a moan. But she took control of her emotions way to quickly and said, "Meet me at the beach at midnight."  
  
I kissed her again, and astral projected back to my place. It was 4 o'clock. I had eight hours until midnight. The wait is enough to kill a guy.  
  


"So good of you to come home, Paul." Dylan said, stepping out from the shadows of my living room. "Finally tore yourself from precious Izzy, I see."  
  
"You dick." I said angrily. "You'd better not touch her or I'll-"  
  
"You'll what?" he sneered. "Beat me up? Sic a couple ghosts on me? You can't do a damn thing to stop me and you know it."  
  
He was partially right. But I would kill him if he so much as laid a finger on Isabella. "Like you could. Do you have any idea how strong I am?" Dylan said, picking up a picture of Isabella I'd taken when she was at the beach with his mind. "Strong enough to crush you both without laying a hand on you."  
  
The picture dropped to the floor, and then I felt a searing pain rush through my brain. I dropped to my knees, clutching my head in pain.  
  
"Imagine that pain times about a thousand, and that's how your precious Isabella's going down." Dylan said, throwing another burst of pain into my head.  
  
Damn him! No! He wouldn't get Isabella! He...would...NOT!!!  
  
"Oh, but I will. In fact...I think I'll stop by the beach tonight..." Dylan trailed off, disappearing.


	10. The Beach

**UnangelicHalo:** Don't worry!!! Life for Izzy will be fine..or will it? Muhahaha!  
  
**Clavel:** Yes, damn Dylan to hell! lol...  
  
**PoeticKiss:** Muhahaha!!! Only I know the answers!!!  
  
  
  
**Isabella's POV:  
**"Hey dad!" I said cheerfully walking into the dining room for dinner. Maybe too cheerfully, since he looked at me like pod-people had taken me over.  
  
"Oh, can I go to the beach tonight? We're planning a bonfire/campout type thing." I asked halfway through the meal. Mom raised her eyes at me, and asked, "Who's we?"  
  
"Uh...Hailey, Sarah, Lexi, Raven...Probably Mark, and a couple other people may show up." I said, putting a piece of salad in my mouth.  
  
"Is Pamela going?" Huh? I don't know a Pamela. I was about to say so, when I saw mom's meaningful look. Oh! Pamela=Paul. Ok, I get it. "Uh, probably."  
  
"Who's Pamela?" Dad asked. "Have we met her?"  
  
"Uh, sort of." Not a complete lie. "She's new, kind of been wandering around for a while." I took a sip of my soda and said, "So, can I go?"  
  
"Sure." Dad said, wiping his mouth. "I don't mind."  
  
"Well, I do." Mom interjected. Say what? You were so just going to let me! I sent mom a thought- being the only shifters in the house, we can read each others minds- that said, "Is this because Paul will be there?"  
  
"Isabella, I do not want you out, alone, after dark with him."  
  
"Mom! How the hell else am I supposed to see him?"  
  
"You've been doing so under our noses, keep doing that."  
  
"MOM! I already said I'd meet him!"  
  
"Well, you should have thought of this sooner."  
  
"Uh, guys? You wanna stop the mind yelling?" Luke asked. Wow, that's the first thing he's said all day. "I can almost hear you."  
  
I sent daggers at mom and said, accidently out loud, "You can't stop me from seeing him!" Oh yeah. I'm a rebel.  
  
"Seeing him?" Dad questioned. "Him? Susannah, who's him that Isabella is seeing?"  
  
"Some boy I don't approve of." Mom said. I snorted. "You didn't seem to not approve of him earlier!"  
  
"Someone want to clue me in on the name of this him we don't approve of?" Dad said. Carmen and Luke looked at me. Mom looked at me.  
  
"Fine! You want to know his name, Dad? It's Paul! There, happy?! I fell in love with Paul Slater, and there is not a damned thing you can do about it!"  
  
Ha, did you think I'd actually said that?? Of course not! I like breathing. I really do.  
  
Here's what really happened:  
  
I felt the eyes of my brother, sister, and mother on me. Dad was staring at me now, too, because everyone else was. Carmen's newest pet ghost, a terrier dog named Rocky, sat down and stared up at me.  
  
And I shifted to my room.  
  
That's it. Just took my body with me and shifted away to my room. I've gotten pretty good at it, actually. Close my eyes, picture my room, and take my body with me. I shut and locked the door, hearing Mom and Dad's yells for me to come down and finish my dinner. I sent Mom a thought that daughters probably should NEVER say to their mothers and caused mom to send back the, "You're grounded until you graduate high school, young lady!" thought.  
  
Screw that. This rebel's breaking out. And, I never had to deal with escaping out the window because of my shifting. At 11:59, I pictured the beach and went there. Paul was standing by the lifeguard's tower looking worried.  
  
"Oh thank God, Isabella!" He wrapped me in a big hug and refused to let go.  
  
"Ok, I missed you too." I hugged him back.  
  
"No, it's not that. I mean, yes, I missed you, of course, but Dylan's going to be here any minute, you have to run-"  
  
"Now, why would she run from me?" I heard a voice behind me, and felt myself be pulled both tighter into Paul and further from him at the same time.  
  
"Stand back and watch Paulie...Little Isabella's going down." Suddenly, a searing pain ripped through my head. I fell to the sand, curled up in the fetal position, screaming out against the pain. I was vaguely aware of Paul tackling Dylan, but I had closed my eyes so it could have been the other way around. Paul must have tackled him though, since the pain eased up for a second while Dylan was off-guard. I crawled away, but only got a foot or so, before the pain came back in full force, and all I saw was blackness...  
  
**Paul's POV:**  
I stood by the lifeguard's tower, waiting for Isabella. I saw her, tried to warn her, but Dylan showed up too soon. Before I knew it, Isabella was on the ground, holding on for dear life.  
  
I tackled Dylan. He broke his concentration, and Isabella tried to get away. I pummeled him, but he still managed to use his freaky powers on her. I pummeled him some more when I saw Isabella pass out, and then he disappeared.  
  
I stood there for a few minutes panting, before moving to check on Isabella. I heard her moan softly, and I checked her pulse...It was faint, but still there.  
  
"P-Paul?"  
  
Oh, thank God she wasn't gone! I picked her up and cradled her in my arms. "Shhh...Don't talk." I said soothingly. "We'll get you to your uncle Jake, he'll run tests, make sure you're ok. You're gonna be aight, ok?"  
  
Isabella nodded slightly, and I drove her to Carmel General Hospital. Thank God Jake had night shift tonight!  
  
I raced her to the emergency room. I saw Jake, who shot me the look of death when I ran in holding Isabella. "Yell at me later, even though I didn't do anything! You have to save her!" I quickly ran through an explanation of what Dylan had done, and Jake ran an MRI and a few other tests to check her brain before admitting her.  
  
"Mr. Slater." Jake said coldly to me. I was sitting in Isabella's hospital room, waiting for news. I'd called Suze, who had yelled at me, but I didn't care. She was on her way.  
  
I sat up in my chair and said, "Yes? How is she? She's gonna make it right??"  
  
Jake looked uncomfortable. "Probably."  
  
"Probably? What the hell does that mean?"  
  
"It means that, while there wasn't significant damage done to Isabella's brain, she's in a coma. When and if she wakes up, she should be fine."  
  
"When and if?"  
  
"There's always a possibility with coma patients that they don't wake up." Jake said, looking pissed off and sad at the same time. "Now what the hell were you and my niece doing at the beach at midnight?"  
  
I sighed. I clutched Isabella's hand and told him we were in love. Suze came bursting in, tears streaming down her cheeks, with De Silva behind her.  
  
If looks could kill, I'd be going through a door in the Shadowland right about now.  
  
I refused to leave. I explained to De Silva that I loved Isabella, and if it weren't for that, she'd be dead right now because Dylan would have come to her room and killed her. He barely bought it, and the death look I'd been getting eased up.  
  
We all stayed in Isabella's room that night. I refused to move from my chair. I prayed silently, hoping she'd wake up soon... 


	11. Together Forever For Now

**Note:** This is the last chapter! I'm sorrys!!! But I have my other story going, so I had to end this one! This is a crap chapter too...I'll probably edit it whenever I get done with "What's A Girl To Do?"

  
**Isabella's POV:**  
Being comatose sucks. You can hear everything going on around you, but in snatches, and when someone says something that pissing you off, you can't do anything about it.  
  
Ha, I'll show them! No one gets to yell at the love of my life and get away with it!  
  
I heard Dad start reaming Paul for being here still, and they started yelling at each other back and forth. I opened my eyes and squeaked out, "Can you please keep it down? I'm trying to be comatose, you know."  
  
Paul looked at me and said, "Oh, sorry sweetie. We'll be- ISABELLA! YOU'RE AWAKE!!!" Paul raced to my side and smothered me in a big hug. "I thought I'd lost you." He mumured in my ear.  
  
"Takes more than the second most powerful shifter to get rid of me, babe." I said cheerfully. I smiled at Dad. "What? No hug for me?" I asked innocently.  
  
Dad gave me a hug and said gruffly, "You are too much like your mother, Isabella."  
  
"When did that turn into a bad thing, Dad?" I said giggling.  
  
Dad gave a weak grin and started muttering in Spanish. I didn't catch a lot of it, but I didn't have to worry, because he left us be after a few minutes. "You had me worried, slipping into a coma like that." Paul said, using this weird stern voice.  
  
"Hey, it's not my fault Dylan can't handle a strong woman!" I retorted happily. Paul grinned and kissed me. I sighed as he let go, and said, "You know, we have a date to reschedule."  
  
Paul raised his eyebrows at me. "That's right, we do."  
  
I kissed him lightly and said, "Wanna go find out when I get out of here?"  
  
"And leave you alone? I think not." Paul said, taking my hand. Not to worry though, uncle Jake came in a few minutes later. After doing the family thing, he did the doctor thing and said I'd be OK to leave in a few days. I had to stay for observation.  
  
Mom came in and refused to leave again. She and Paul stayed in the room, on opposite sides of my bed, with me until I was released. Paul stayed with me, since most of the family wanted me bedridden, for a week, while I was "recovering."  
  
Ha, if recovering involves making out with the man you love, then I was recovering. If it doesn't, then I just spent a week in bed with the man I love. Whichever.  
  
We rescheduled our date, but not at night. Going out at night was bad! We went out in public, where there were lots of witnesses, just in case Dylan tried to off me again.  
  
Which he did. Several times. Stupid prick. If I have to knee him in the groin one more time, he won't be able to reproduce. Like, ever. I've learned how to block him from frying my brain though, so no more trips to the hospital for me!  
  
Almost a year later, he was still trying to off me. I graduated from high school, and fought off Dylan and his minions. Injured them pretty badly, too. It was awesome. Blood everywhere.  
  
And most of it was theirs. I only had a small cut on my upper arm. Of course, Paul freaked out. I bandaged it properly and everything before driving to his place, but as less clothes are worn and more skin is shown, he saw the bandage and all romance was put to a stop. I was subjected to an hour-long lecture before I got his mind back on track.  
  
Seriously. I know he loves me but the over-protectiveness is a pain in the ass at times. Of course, the over-protectiveness has saved my ass on several occasions as well, so maybe it's all worth it...  
  
Whatever. Point is, almost a year after all of it started, stupid Dylan is still trying to off me. I was now living with Paul because my parents had pulled the disownment card after they walked in on us being intimate. I say they had it coming. I mean, when a girl locks her bedroom door, she expects people to stay out! But noooooo.......Broke down the door, then told me to move out or stop seeing him.  
  
Whatever. I moved out. Big blowout, lots of yelling, Carmen begging me to not leave, Luke sitting in his room, yelling a "Goodbye" when Paul came to get me. I loaded up bags of clothes and personal belongings before hopping into the BMW he'd had his brother ship down from storage in Seattle.  
  
Paul always pushed for me to talk to my parents again. He'd use the, "You'll regret it if you don't." line. I'd pull the "Whatever, it's their own fault." one on him.  
  
I did call my mom, about six months after graduation.  
  
To tell her we'd finally gotten rid of Dylan, so they didn't have to worry about him. Her response? "That's great hunny. Are you going to leave Satan and come home to us?"  
  
I hung up without another word. Seriously. What happened to my cool parents? I mean, yes, I fell in love with their mortal enemy, but he hadn't hurt them because he'd fallen in love with me. This should be a plus! Do they see it as one?  
  
Uh, that'd be a big fat NO!  
  
I swore I'd never go home. I swore I'd never talk to her again. Then Paul proposed. And I had to rub it in mom's face. I called her up and before saying hello or anything like that, I said, "See, I told you he loved me. We're getting married! We're going to be happy together! Hahaha!!"  
  
Yes, I'm immature. Whatever.  
  
I hung up and went to celebrate with Manda, Hailey, Lexi, and all my other friends. THEY didn't care that Paul was older than me. They didn't know the whole story, but were way supportive of what they did know. Paul and I got married, and went on to have a big family. I invited Carmen and Luke to the wedding, and without my knowledge, mom and dad showed up. My estranged family was together for one day.  
  
And then back to the estrangedness.  
  
But whatever. I was happy. I had found my true love, like mom found hers. I was together with mine for forever...  
  
Together Forever...


End file.
